Photo Gallery: King 71, Mater Dei 56

Patton: Wolves not one-man show

ANAHEIM - The doubters have been silenced.

For over a week, the Riverside King boys basketball team was told it didn't stand a chance of taking down the nation's top-ranked team. The Wolves apparently weren't listening.

King blitzed Santa Ana Mater Dei in the final 10 minutes and went on to rout the Monarchs, 71-56, Saturday night in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1AA title game at Honda Center.

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William Wilson Lewis III / The Press-Enterprise

Tony Snell leads the way with 16 points as Riverside King blitzes David Wear and Santa Ana Mater Dei in the final 10 minutes of the Division 1AA championship. The Wolves shot 65 percent in the second half.

The days of having to prove itself a power seem over.

"Do you think they have heard of Martin Luther King now?" Coach Tim Sweeney Jr. said moments after the final buzzer sealed the Wolves' second Southern Section title. "I don't think anybody will look across the basketball court and doubt us or say we don't belong there ever again."

Mater Dei (30-1) was the top-ranked team in the nation in nearly every poll, including ones from USA Today and ESPN. The Monarchs had passed every test to date, including victories over some of the best teams in the state and the nation.

But for the third straight season, Coach Gary McKnight and the Monarchs were denied their 20th section championship.

"(King) played with a purpose tonight," said McKnight, who lost only his eighth postseason game in 27 years at Mater Dei. "It's hard when you have that bull's-eye on your back. Everyone is gunning for you. They were fired up, and we didn't match that."

King (27-2) trailed 35-32 with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter, but the Wolves went on a 15-0 run during the next three minutes to take control. The key moment came in the final seconds of the quarter when Kawhi Leonard blocked a layup by David Wear, grabbed the loose ball and found J.J. Campbell, who made a tough layup as the buzzer sounded.

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William Wilson Lewis III/The Press-Enterprise

Kim Roberson, left, and Miesha Robertson, right, hug Kawhi Leonard, of King High, center, after a 71-56 win over Mater Dei for the CIF-SS Division 1AA boys basketball championship.

For the first time this season, Mater Dei trailed heading into the fourth quarter.

"We came to the bench excited," Campbell said. "We knew we just had to play eight more minutes of solid basketball."

Mater Dei switched its defense in the fourth quarter, going from man-to-man to a zone trap. It didn't stop the bleeding, as Taylor Cunningham and Chris Harriel each knocked down three-pointers to give the Wolves a commanding 47-35 lead.

"We should have gotten more stops," Mater Dei point guard Gary Franklin said. "You just can't let a team go on a 15-0 run."

The open looks against the defense didn't stop there, as the Wolves made 9 of 13 shots from the field in the final period. King made 65 percent of its shots in the half.

"That's about as smart of a basketball game as we have played," Sweeney said. "My kids did exactly what was expected of them."

King went 13 minutes in the second half without a single point from Leonard, its leading scorer. Everyone else stepped up, pouring in 40 points in that stretch.

Tony Snell and Cunningham led the way with 16 points each, while Harriel added 14. Leonard, who's headed to San Diego State, finished with 11 points, 20 rebounds and six blocked shots.

"They hit some very big shots," said McKnight, who waved the white flag with 35 seconds remaining, pulling his starters. Sweeney did likewise moments later.

"This feels really good," Harriel said. "I had no doubt in my mind that we were going to win."

That belief was solidified in the locker room.

"In my pregame speech I told my players, it won't be an upset if you beat Mater Dei tonight," Sweeney said. "The only upset would be if Mater Dei beat us."

Reach Eric-Paul Johnson at 951-368-9530 or ejohnson@PE.com